Bluetooth, smartphone app to help diabetes

Two U.S. firms are working on Bluetooth devices coupled with a smartphone app to allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels more closely and accurately. The firms, iHealth Lab and LifeScan, have developed Bluetooth-enabled devices called glucometers that analyze a tiny drop of diabetic's blood to determine the levels of and help them make decisions on diet, exercise and medication, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Communicating wirelessly with a smartphone allows for more sophisticated analysis, giving a picture of how the user's glucose levels are changing over time. The apps can also send the results directly from the phone to a doctor. The device and phone app bring high-tech help to diabetics, many of whom still log their glucometer results with pen and paper. The glucometers from both iHealth and LifeScan can work when out of range of the smartphone they've been paired with; they will save the reading and sync with the phone and its app when back in range. Both are FDA approved. The iHealth meter is available now, while the LifeScan version is expected to be offered early next year, the Journal reported.